India’s peak power demand hits fresh high of 265.44 GW on 20 May as heatwave persists

New Delhi: India’s peak power demand hit a new record of 265.44 gigawatts (GW) on Wednesday afternoon as severe heatwave conditions persisted in northwest and central India. This is the third consecutive day of record power demand in the country, after 257.37 GW on Monday and 260.45 GW on Tuesday.

The Union power ministry posted on X, “Today, at 1545 hours, peak power demand (solar hours) of 265.44 GW was successfully met. This represents a new high in peak demand met, surpassing yesterday’s peak demand of 260.45 GW, which was also successfully met.”

Thermal and solar sources were the top contributors, with 165 GW and 57.86 GW of power generation, respectively. Stocks of domestic and imported coal at plants stand at 51.62 million tonnes, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority, enough for about 17 days of operations.

Meanwhile, peak power demand in the national capital hit its highest level this year at 8,039 MW on Wednesday. The record peak demand in Delhi is 8,656 MW, achieved in June 2024.

A spokesperson for Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd said that the company met the peak demand in its areas of operation. “Tata Power-DDL successfully met the season’s peak demand of 2,249 MW till date seamlessly across its network. As part of its summer preparedness strategy, Tata Power-DDL has undertaken comprehensive measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the peak demand season.”

“Adequate arrangements have been put in place through Bilateral Agreements, Reserve Shutdown mechanisms, and participation in Power Exchanges to maintain supply reliability,” the spokesperson added.

India’s peak power demand is expected to touch 271 GW this year. The power ministry has projected a demand of 906 million tonnes of coal this fiscal year.

No respite in sight

Demand for power is expected to remain high in the coming days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting severe heat wave conditions will continue. In a statement on 20 May, the weather department said: “Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions likely to continue to prevail over northwest & central India during the week and over east India during the next five days.”

The IMD said maximum temperatures across northwest India, central India and adjoining eastern and peninsular regions remained extremely high, ranging from 40-47 degrees Celsius on 19 May. Banda in Uttar Pradesh recorded the country’s highest temperature that day at 48.2°C.

The IMD warned that scorching temperatures will persist across key agricultural belts in northwestern and central India. Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are expected in many or some pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on 21 May, and again from 24-26 May. Punjab is also likely to experience severe heatwave conditions on 22-23 May, while west Uttar Pradesh is expected to remain under severe heat stress from 21-26 May and east Uttar Pradesh until 23 May, it said.

“Central India is also set to remain under prolonged heat stress. Madhya Pradesh may witness severe heatwave conditions from 21-25 May, with isolated heatwave conditions continuing on May 26. Vidarbha is likely to face severe heatwave conditions between 21-23 May before easing slightly, though heatwave conditions are expected to persist until 26 May,” IMD said.

Other regions expected to see heatwave conditions in the coming days include Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Bihar and Rajasthan. Isolated heatwave conditions are also forecast for Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.